By Belle Martinelli
Ward (left) singing karaoke with friend and fellow RA, Elliana Marlier, in the Stood cinema room (photo by Belle Martinelli)
Students gathered in the Stood’s cinema room Saturday night to celebrate the critically acclaimed show “Glee” with a sing-along night, hosted by RA Jenn Ward.
Ward was inspired by her friend and fellow RA, Brianna Reid’s, Taylor Swift Club Night that took place last semester. “I am horribly a huge gleek (the term for fans of “Glee). I have been a fan of this show since I was like 12 years old and it’s atrocious how obsessed I am with it!” said Ward.
“Glee” aired on Fox Network for six years, between 2009 and 2015. The show immediately gained a cult following, with numerous fans tuning in to watch their favorite characters cover popular music and compete for their school’s glee club.
The glee club, passionately named the New Directions, was iconic in many ways-- one being their mashups.
Ward’s personalized playlist did not disappoint as it moved through mashups such as “Rumor Has It/Someone Like You,” “Hit Me with Your Best Shot/One Way Or Another,” and “I Still Believe/Super Bass.”
Ward’s playlist mixed popular covers, as well as niche ones appreciated by the fandom.
“My best friend Kaylie is also a ‘Glee’ fan so we kind of sat one day when she was at work and just went through all of our favorite songs,” said Ward.
Popular covers circled between “Born This Way,” “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Say A Little Prayer,” and the most well-known “Glee” cover, “Don’t Stop Believin’.”
Longtime “Glee” fans were overjoyed to attend the event. The show broke barriers, approaching topics like LGBTQ+ representation, teenage pregnancy, bullying, and eating disorders--issues that were pertinent to actual high school students, not just fictional ones.
“As a “Glee” fan since I was 13, and also as Jenn’s best friend, I was really glad Ward (left) and Kaylie Mancino (right) dancing to “Say A
Little Prayer” (Photo by Belle Martinelli)
that she put on this program because it really bonded everyone,” said Kaylie Mancino. “It was such a fun and safe night in the Stood, and that’s what we needed to end the semester.”
The event drew in non-Glee fans as well. Although the New Directions wrote and performed a few original songs, they largely performed songs everyone knows and loves. Popular covers by Journey, Katy Perry, and Michael Jackson are just a few of the songs everyone can sing along to.
“I had so much fun, and it really inspired me to actually go and watch ‘Glee,’ because I’ve never seen it before,” said fellow RA Elliana Marlier.
“Glee” night has been in the works for a while, according to Ward. She had it approved and has been looking forward to it since January, excitedly waiting to end the semester on a good note.
“I really want to thank everyone who helped me support my stupid idea of ‘Glee’ night,” said Ward. “It’s been a really rough semester and it’s been really stressful and overwhelming, so it is really nice to have the support of my friends and community around me.”